Voted No. 1 in the country by Gourmet magazine

Walter’s Hot Dogs is a Westchester institution and nationally registered historical landmark, serving  world-famous hot dogs since 1919.

How many people can say their family has been a patron of another’s family business for 101 consecutive years?  I can.  My family has been going to Walter’s since the year it first opened in1919.   While I no longer live in Westchester County, I venture back to Walter’s many times throughout the year to eat their secret recipe for extra well done, crispy hot dogs with either their special house mustard or catsup.  Nothing else is needed to dress up these dogs and nothing else other than relish is offered.

It wasn’t until very recent years that the original menu expanded from hot dogs, home made ice cream and milkshakes, soda, thin French fries (long before a twinkle in McDonalds eye) and frozen Milky Ways to a larger selection.  Check out their menu, locations and goldbelly on-line ordering.

I was excited to learn that Walter’s is now selling frozen 24 packaged Pigs in a Blanket wrapped in an all butter, flaky puff pastry to heat and serve at home.  So delicious and easy to prepare that I will be keeping a package in my freezer/ refrigerator forever more. Why wait for a party? 

I also order the prepackaged units of 12 hot dogs with no buns to keep in my freezer.  The Website says not to freeze the product but I have for years without any problems.  I just thaw however many I wish to use and follow the preparation instructions.

Understandably, everyone has his or her own local favorite preferences, but I do not think you will be disappointed if you visit Walter’s roadside pagoda on Palmer Avenue in Mamaroneck, NY, or order on-line.  You can take out, eat at one of the picnic tables or in your car.  Who knows, you might just start your own family tradition that will last over a hundred years! Ellen Easton

An exclusive blend of beef, pork and veal, Walter’s hot dogs are split down the middle, grilled in a “secret sauce,” and served on a toasted bun with Walter’s signature mustard: a blend of choice mustard seeds, relish and spices. The building itself was established in 1928 on Palmer Avenue in Mamaroneck, New York and is a copper-roofed Chinese pagoda that has been drawing long lines and loyal patrons ever since.

In October 2017, Walter’s Hot Dogs expanded to its second location in Stamford, CT. The green hut in the middle of Harbor Point bears a striking resemblance to the original pagoda on Palmer Avenue in Mamaroneck.

In August 2018, Walter’s Hot Dogs expanded to its third location in White Plains, NY.

Voted No. 1 in the country by Gourmet magazine in 2001, the hot dog here has received praise from top outlets. In 2004, The New York Times writer R.W. Apple Jr. highlighted Walter’s as “topping the whole list” of noteworthy dogs across the country; in 2014, Westchester magazine featured Walter’s on the cover of their “Westchester Bucket List” issue for the “iconic split and griddled treats” and “Chinese temple of a hot dog stand.” In 2015, Walter’s was voted WCBS-FM’s “Best Hot Dog in the Tri-State.” In 2016 and 2017, we received the Best of Westchester’s award for “Best Food Truck”. We were also recognized by 914INC with a “Small Business Award” in 2016, and the Westfair Communications “Family-Owned Business Award” in 2017. Walter’s took home the first ever “NY vs. NJ Food Truck Mash-up” Award in 2017, hosted by Lohud.

But the accolades that have meant the most to the fourth-generation family business have been from customers around the world.  Loyal guests continue to send postcards to our one hundred year old business from travels as far as Nepal, South Korea and Vietnam detailing their cravings for a Walter’s hot dog.

©Ellen Easton

Ellen Easton, author of Afternoon Tea~Tips, Terms and Traditions(RED WAGON PRESS), an afternoon tea authority, lifestyle and etiquette industry leader, keynote speaker and product spokesperson, is a hospitality, design, and retail consultant whose clients have included the Waldorf=Astoria, the Plaza and Bergdorf Goodman. Easton’s family traces their tea roots to the early 1800s, when ancestors first introduced tea plants from India and China to the Colony of Ceylon, thus building one of the largest and best cultivated teas estates on the island.